Bands

Herman Rarebell

Herman ‘Ze German’ Rarebell (born November 18, 1949, as Hermann Erbel) is a German drummer, best known for his tenure with the Scorpions – from 1977 to 1995 – playing on eight popular/influential studio albums. He was an important composer in the history of the group, writing such classic songs as ‘Another Piece of Meat’ and ‘Falling in Love,’ and the second single from the album ‘Savage Amusement,’ ‘Passion Rules The Game.’ Additionally, Herman penned the lyrics for some of the most classic songs of the band’s entire history, including ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane,’ ‘Make It Real,’ ‘Dynamite,’ ‘Blackout,’ ‘Arizona,’ ‘Bad Boys Running Wild,’ ‘Don’t Stop At the Top,’ and ‘Tease Me Please Me,’ among countless others. Another standout song that Herman penned was the beautiful ballad, “I’ll Say Goodbye,” which was recorded with Don Dokken on vocals. Unfortunately, what would have surely been a worldwide hit for the Scorpions managed to slip through the cracks, as it was never recorded by the group. In 1982, Herman released his first solo album, ‘Nip in the Bud’ (which he re-recorded as ‘Herman ze German & Friends’ with the help of friends/members of Dokken, Great White, Ratt, etc.). To this day, Herman remains the only member of the Scorpions to have released a solo project while still a full member of the band. However, by 1995, Rarebell decided to exit the Scorpions – leaving behind such lofty accomplishments as over 70 gold and 30 platinum records (in addition to countless other awards and prizes). Subsequently, with the contribution of Prince Albert of Monaco, he created Monaco Records. Herman has also participated in the Drum Legends project with his friend Pete York (ex-Spencer Davis Group) and jazz drummer Charly Antolini, and has released a live CD & DVD. And on August 3, 2006, Herman joined the Scorpions onstage at the Wacken Festival as a special guest along with Ulrich Roth and Michael Schenker. Come 2010 Herman was ready to rock once more, as he returned with his latest solo album, ‘Take It As it Comes’ (released via Dark Star Records), and its kick-ass lead-off single, ‘Let Me Rock You.’ Herman Rarebell’s latest release is “Acoustic Fever” by Herman Rarebel & Friends and Features Don Dokken, Jack Russell, Tony Martin and Others.

David Shankle first became a Metal Icon playing with the multi platinum band “Manowar” who have sold over 9 million albums worldwide. Manowar once held the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance. David Shankle played on The Triumph of Steel Album “1992” Atlantic Records, and has performed worldwide in front of crowds of 70,000+ Die Hard Metal Fans. This has built quite a loyal fan base for David Shankle. And, in 2010 David Shankle performed the “Demonic Solo” which was featured in the Cult Classic Vampie Film JEZEBETH, Directed by Damien Dante. The Blu-Ray for JEZEBETH which was released in 2013 worldwide via SGL Entertainment and RSquared Films features a special bonus feature music video of David Shankle performing the “Demonic Solo”. The video was produced by Dan Manzella. David Shankle is now currently performing with DSG. The David Shankle Group is a progressive power metal band founded by the legendary guitar virtuoso “The Shred Demon” Shankle. DSG is about pure talent and has been tagged “Dangerous Speed Guitar” by many well known and talented musicians. DSG has introduced the metal world, to a new breed of speed, while at the same time displaying awesome classical guitar and balladry on the band’s debut album. “Ashes To Ashes”. Which was released in 2003 on Magic Circle Music. Then in 2007 DSG released their second album “Hellborn” on “Magic Circle Music”. And, DSG is about ready to release their third album, more details coming soon. DSG is Warren Halvarson on vocals, Gabriel Anthony on drums, Michael Streicher on Bass and David Shankle on Guitars.

Shooting Hemlock Was the brainchild of manager Brad Keene Who had worked with guitar player Joe Stump (Boston Mass.) on his solo projects. Brad wanted to put together a band comprised of members from different regions of the country, and with the addition of Jeff Tortora and Jimmy Puma (Syracuse N, Y.,) Brad had the monster rhythm section he had been searching for. Both Jeff and Jim were playing with Joey Belladonna from Anthrax at that time, and for one reason or another it didn’t work out. Brad then set his sights on a lead vocalist to fill the last remaining slot in the line up, enter Brian Troch (Chicago IL.), who just had left the Band Cyclone Temple and was looking to break free of the dictatorship he experienced in that band. Brian now had the the ability to write his own material as well as collaborate with his other band members in the songwriting department. What ensued was a mixture of styles and influences that made a very different but awesome sound. The band wrote all their material via mail and E-mail and flew into one central location (Boston) to rehearse ,do pre production work and record the actual tracks , Brian would eventually move to Boston and the project was finished!!! Dark star records now brings you these two releases, BIG GREEN MONSTER and COLORED SPACKLED EMPTY and with worldwide distribution Shooting Hemlock now stands ready to ROCK THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!

Dark Star Records welcomes Conquest to the metal family. Strong, aggressive, high energy musicians from the Midwest, Conquest has rocked the nation with their pure breed of Modern Heavy Metal stemming from the old school influences of Metallica, Judas Priest and Slayer with the modern sound of Trivium and Shadows Fall. Conquest formed in late 1989 by founder Derrick Brumley, frontman and guitar player of the band. Joined by Tony Restivo, Tim Fleetwood and Adrian Vesper, Conquest played locally and made their first full length heavy metal record titled Hellraiser (demo). Through the 90’s the band experimented with a variety of metal styles only to find the real calling for the band was aggressive in your face high energy thrash. In 1995 with the departure of Adrian Vesper and the addition of Mike Crook, Conquest rejuvenated their heavy root beginning with the European release of Rage. In 2000, Tony Restivo left the band and was replaced by Robert Lloyd. The band began work on what would become their next release No Boundaries. With the success of the No Boundaries tour where they completed a full 70 over the road performance, Jagermeistermusic offered their endorsement of Conquest, opening up new avenues for the band. In 2005 with the exit of Robert Lloyd and the return of former bass player Tony Restivo, Conquest began work on their largest project to date End of Days. After rave reviews record label Dark Star Records joined the forces and will release End of Days on June 3, 2008. Metal fans will delight in the fresh, aggressive, high energy, melodic breed of pure heavy metal Conquest delivers and can count on consistency of their recordings equaling their strapping stage performances not always found in the metal world.

GRIGORI 3, The name relates to a race of fallen angels. The concept of live and let live died for the female fronted Metal Industrial artists GRIGORI 3, who have showed absolutely no mercy since their emergence in the Chicago scene in 2003. GRIGORI 3 has been enchanting audiences with some of the most powerful mind crunching music in the country. The band credits its strength to its ability to blend the diverse influences each member brings to their sound. Where other groups simply write songs, GRIGORI 3 composes and then delivers intensely melodic yet energetic riffs and melodies, encapsulated in a show often described as amazing. In 2003 the band crossed lines breaking into the live scene playing various shows throughout the Midwest, performing and setting dates with some of thier favorites including national acts- HANZEL & GRETYL, BILE, GENITORTURERS, DOPE, PITBULL DAY CARE ,SLICK IDIOT, DRYKILL LOGIC, MUSHROOMHEAD. GRIGORI 3 has recently gained selective national press throughout the underground music scene including Gothic Beauty Magazine, SWAG Magazine, Dark Realms Magazine, MK Magazine and Outburn as well as numerous ezines and online articles. In 2013 the band returns with their new album “On Your Six”… Also, several tracks from the bands classic release “Exile” are featuted in the movie and on the soundtrack to JEZEBETH THE MOTION PICTURE available now on Blu-Ray.

Bloody Mary is a Chicago-based, all-girl teenage rock band that made its performance debut in 2010. Known for their unique sound and impressive array of original music, this dedicated group of girls has performed at large venues like the Congress and Arcada Theaters and smaller, more intimate clubs like Penny Road Pub, Chicago Loop, Bannerman’s, and Brauer House. Bloody Mary has also made appearances at national events such as the NAMM (National Associaion of Music Merchants) and the Indianapolis Metal Fest for both 2012 and 2013. The band released their first CD “Coming of Age” in the summer of 2012 on the Dark Star Records Label and are currently working on their second album. Bloody Mary is: Hollie Wood on Bass/Vocals, Ana Apollo on Lead Guitar/Vocals, Rickee Divine on Guitar/Vocals and Kat Cannons on Drums/Vocals.

Low Twelve began in a basement on West Graham Street in Bloomington Illinois during the summer of 1998. The band was founded by bass player/singer Pete Altieri and guitarist Tim McCleland. Les Aldridge was added as a second lead guitarist in late 1998 before the band’s first performance. Original drummer Steve Chestney was replaced by Wes Pollock in late 1999. The band recorded two demos prior to their first full length, “Flesh of the Weak” in late 2000 when they supported Pro-Pain on the Round 6 tour. The track “Brutal World” was featured on the horror movie soundtrack for “Jigsaw” and they received praise in the metal media for their debut release. They followed up with a double cd/dvd release “Maggot Ridden Rotting Movie” and “Unfit For Human Occupancy” that led to legal troubles with a fan in the film. For those reasons, the “Maggot” dvd was removed from the package and they only sell the cd. In 2004-2005, Low Twelve recorded their next full length release, “This Side Toward Enemy” and released it February 14, 2006 on Rotting Corpse Records. On 1/1/06, the band signed with Rotting Corpse out of Chicago. The first pressing of the CD sold out in the US as well as Europe and Asia to legions of new Twelve Heads. The band played many shows in 2006/2007 in support of the release. They had the honor to open for GWAR on October 24, 2007 at the Canopy Club in Urbana Illinois to a sold out house of nearly 1,500 metal freaks! Low Twelve has slammed nearly 300 live shows in their 13-plus years of brutality on this planet. Les Aldridge decided to pack it in after 10 years on guitar duties in March of 2008, and so the band decided to return to the original two new guitar player concept. Meister, formerly of the Breed of Sedition/Human Hatemachine/Killborn has joined forces with the band. Soon after Meister was added, another fret-ripper – Dan Steinlicht (Zeroshift) was drafted and welcomed the challenge. In July of 2009, the band regretfully parted ways with guitarist Dan Steinlicht, due to his other commitments. Low Twelve continued to record their new CD, “Splatter Pattern”, and in late August 2009 asked Les Aldridge if he wanted to come back and play guitar again. Les accepted the offer and was back with Meister, Pete, and Wes. The “Splatter Pattern” CD was released in May of 2010 to much acclaim by the metal media, newspapers, and beyond. One of the songs, “A Hero’s Last Stand” was written for fallen hero Rick Rescorla who saved 2,700 at the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. Rick died in the process, and the band was moved to write a song about his story. They contacted Rick’s widow and she used the lyrics in the song for her book “Touched By A Hero” that was published on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. One of the other songs on the CD, “Bodied In My Pocket” was selected to be used on the soundtrack for a new horror film “Boneboys”. In November of 2011 drummer Wes Pollock decided to leave the band after 10 years of service behind the kit. Wes decided to venture into the audio engineering side of the business, and so he left on good terms with the band. He was quickly replaced by drummer Travis Waterman, who had played in bands previously with Meister, and was a good friend to all the band. The transition was incredible as Travis picked up the older songs quickly and new material was being written right away for a follow up CD to “Splatter Pattern”. The band immediately began to record songs for their fifth CD “Skin in the Game”. They recorded 10 new songs and two bonus tracks. Ironically the recordings were engineered by former drummer Wes Pollock, and also co-produced along with the band. The production is stronger than any other Low Twelve release and already one of the songs has been selected to also be on the “Boneboys” soundtrack. The band signed with Dark Star Records in September 2012 and have released “Skin in the Game” with both the CD and a DVD that features a brutalmentary on the band called “13 Brutal Years: The New Breed of Low Twelve”. There appears to be no end in sight for this juggernaut of heaviness!

Dark Star recording artist’s Two Ton Anvil is lead and fronted by vocalist/guitarist founding member Reed McCallister. Reed formed TWO TON ANVIL in summer of 2008. With talent and endless creativity to deliver, the Two Ton Anvil project is some of the heaviest and marketable music that Reed has ever created. Reed completed his vision by adding bassist Glenn Christon and drummer Marcus Lee. Combining several metal genres like mid tempo heavy groove with some fast metal there’s no question that tunes like “Victims,” “Ballbreaker,” and “Loyalty” are catchy tunes that keep you coming back for more. Maybe you want the speed of “Glass Houses” & “Murder Cage” or the melodies of “Still Afraid” & “You’re Daze.” Whatever type of metal you’re looking for; these guys seem to have it. The big production of Two Ton Anvil’s material proves there is no lack of engineering and production expertise on this project. The band has a meaty mind crushing sound with huge vocals and catchy melodies that are guaranteed to hold your attention and thump through your speakers while tapping your feet and banging your head! The band has consistently held multiple spots in the top ten lists of various websites claiming the 1 spot in several categories. World released on indiestop10.com as featured artists in an interview with host Mike Cameo. Listen to how many months 2008-2013 that TWO TON ANVIL has been showcased on Indies Top 10 podcasts and over 2 dozen internet sites on the World Wide Web. Not only has Two Ton Anvil been slowly making a name for themselves in local Chicago music scene but also have shared the stage with national acts such as Five Finger Death Punch, Bury your Dead, In this Moment, Another Black Day, Kittie, Dirge Within, Texas Hippie Coalition, etc. With the debut self titled CD in stores now and the second CD ‘Coming Home’ released 9/11/2012 the band has enjoyed success on their first world television premiered video “Corruption” also releasing the “Corruption” single on national radio airwaves – Two Ton Anvil’s gearing up for a full out touring schedule with coast to coast scheduling in the works. With Dark Star Records behind the group good things are certain to happen for this hard working group of dedicated musicians. It is only a matter of time before these metal maniacs start “taking over” from city to city and making an even bigger name for themselves.

UNBREAKABLE is a German Hard-Rock-/Heavy-Metal-Band from Hessen, Germany. As one of very few German bands, UNBREAKABLE is one of the hope of Hard-Rock-/Heavy-Metal bands of the world in the recent years. In the last few years UNBREAKABLE have built up a fan base for example in many European countries, such as Greece, France, Portugal, Poland or North and South America, Russia, Japan or Australia and is be traded as a tip for HARD ROCK MADE IN GERMANY. 2013 they produced their first album “KNOCKOUT”, with the producer HERMAN RAREBELL former Scorpions Drummer and hit writer of songs like “Rock you Like a Hurricane”, “Blackout” and many more. It was recorded at the PRINCIPAL STUDIOS Muenster, Germany and the KIDROOM STUDIO with MICHAEL VOSS (Mad Max/ producer Michael Schenker). As a result they have signed a record deal at the Hard Rock and Metal Label DARK STAR Records from Chicago America 2014. The Label is a Cutting Edge Major Label in Association with Sony Music Entertainment. The Album will be released in America 29th July 2014 and 18th August 2014 in Europe.